Psalm 143 – Benedictus Dominus

The prophet praiseth God, and prayeth to be delivered from his enemies. No worldly happiness is to be compared with that of serving God. A psalm of David against Goliath.

Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands to fight, and my fingers to war. 2 My mercy, and my refuge: my support, and my deliverer: My protector, and I have hoped in him: who subdueth my people under me. 3 Lord, what is man, that thou art made known to him? or the son of man, that thou makest account of him? 4 Man is like to vanity: his days pass away like a shadow. 5 Lord, bow down thy heavens and descend: touch the mountains and they shall smoke.

6 Send forth lightning, and thou shalt scatter them: shoot out thy arrows, and thou shalt trouble them. 7 Put forth thy hand from on high, take me out, and deliver me from many waters: from the hand of strange children: 8 Whose mouth hath spoken vanity: and their right hand is the right hand of iniquity. 9 To thee, O God, I will sing a new canticle: on the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings I will sing praises to thee. 10 Who givest salvation to kings: who hast redeemed thy servant David from the malicious sword:

11 Deliver me, And rescue me out of the hand of strange children; whose mouth hath spoken vanity: and their right hand is the right hand of iniquity: 12 Whose sons are as new plants in their youth: Their daughters decked out, adorned round about after the similitude of a temple: 13 Their storehouses full, flowing out of this into that. Their sheep fruitful in young, abounding in their goings forth: 14 Their oxen fat. There is no breach of wall, nor passage, nor crying out in their streets. 15 They have called the people happy, that hath these things: but happy is that people whose God is the Lord.